In an exclusive clip from “The Oprah Conversation” in September 2020, musical sensation Mariah Carey shed light on how the legendary Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter, played a significant role in helping her break free from a toxic marriage with millionaire ex-husband Tommy Mottola.
The conversation took place during Carey’s promotional appearance for her memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” on Oprah Winfrey’s show.
Oprah posed the question that led to the revelation:
“Before you divorced Tommy Mottola, you met Yankee baseball player Derek Jeter, and you say he served a very high purpose in your life. This was one of those situations of the right person at the right place and the right time. What was it about Derek? He got his own song too, right?”
Mariah Carey responded with candor, revealing the profound impact Jeter had on her life:
“He got his own song. He got a few songs. He was a catalyst that helped me get out of that relationship because I believed that there was somebody else. I don’t think it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he was the love of my life.’ Like, at the time I did, because I didn’t think I would ever meet anybody who wouldn’t—What’s the word? I used the word, I just thought about this last night. Not looked down on but feel superior to me because of the fact that I’m not one way or another in most people’s minds, and they have preconceived notions, whatever. But he was a catalyst. And I think that it was beautiful.”
Derek Jeter and Mariah Carey dated for approximately a year, from around 1997 to 1998. They crossed paths at an Armani party in New York City.
Derek and Mariah dated while Carey was still married to her former husband and music executive, Tommy Mottola.
After parting ways with Jeter, Carey subsequently divorced Mottola in 1998. She went on to marry Nick Cannon in 2008, but their marriage ended in divorce in 2016.
In the present day, Derek Jeter is happily married to former Sports Illustrated model Hannah Davis. The couple shares four children together: Bella Raine, Story Grey, River Rose, and Kaius Green.
